Real or not real?
by terig
Summary: ["No!" Daryl couldn't believe what his eyes were telling him he just No, no, no, there was no way he just saw Carol get ] Daryl has a dream where he sees Carol get bit which gives him the courage to finally tell her how he feels, but their relationship ends up having a lot more implications than they first. And in the end, can a relationship survive in the apocalyspe? xxCarylxx
1. Chapter 1: Am I dreaming?

**A/N: hey guys I jut edited this chapter to make it easier to read and also to leto you know that the story chapters are longer than this if you start to think that they are all going to be this short :) so gives it a chance it's my first attempt at a longer story :) thanks read and review :D x**

**Also I'd just like to say that I know a lot of you are just reading this chapter and then stopping but I would love it of u at least have it chance because this is the first time I've ever wrote a story :) thank you **

"No!"

Daryl couldn't believe what his eyes were telling him he just saw. No, there was _no_ way he just saw Carol get bit. Nope plain and simple it didn't happen, just his mind playin' tricks on him cause he's tired.

He killed the last walker that was in the field before running across the prison yard to where he stared in horror to where Carol actually lay on the ground. As he reached her Daryl fell to his knees and grabbed her hand and held it in both of his.

"Carol. Carol can you hear me? I-It's Daryl, everything's gunna be fine." He could hear his own desperation in his pleading voice. Carols' eyes fluttered open and when they landed on his face a small smile formed on hers.

"So this is what heaven is like." Her voice sounded very weak and he knew the fever had already set in.

He smiled sadly and chuckled down at her. Instantly feeling tears forming in his eyes but he wouldn't let her see him cry, not now. Not when she needed him most.

"You're an idiot ya know that"

He felt a tear slip down his cheek but he didn't want to let go of her hand to wipe it away so he let it fall off his face and watched as it landed on Carol's. He heard her mumble something and he moved closer to hr face.

"Wh-what did ya say?"

His voice was shakey from emotion but he didn't care, she needed to know how much she meant to him. He watched as Carol lifted her other hand, that he wasn't holding, and wrap it around the back of his neck and pulled him down even move until his forehead was resting on hers.

"I said I love you."

With those few all important words Daryl closed the small gap between them and kissed her, putting all the things he would never have the chance to tell her, into that one important kiss.

It was a long time before Daryl pulled away, but not long enough in his eyes. When he looked down he saw a small smile still remained on her lips, even as her body lay limp and unmoving on the ground. Daryl just sat there frozen for a moment before all his emotions caught up with him and the tears started to fall down his face. He collapsed from the sorrow and lay across her dead body.

He just lay there for what must've been hours, just crying. Thinking of all the horrible things he said to her, of how he couldn't save her little girl. Of how she would never know how much she meant to him. Daryl snapped out of his thoughts when Carol's body started to twitch back to life. He knew what it meant but his mind refused to accept it, and for some reason he still believed it was her. When Daryl looked he wished he hadn't. A deep throat moan started to come out of her lips when she opened her eyes, Daryl could've cried out in pain when he saw them. They were no longer her sparkling blue ones that were always filled with life. No, him instead he found himself staring into grey, dead, empty shells of what they once were. She started to lift herself towards him and he knew right away what he needed to do, but couldn't bring himself to do it.

Carol was now dangerously close to him but he couldn't push her away, he didn't want to push her away again. Daryl decided in that moment he didn't want to live in a world without her in it. He wanted Carol to be the one to kill him, because he was already dead inside without her.

She was only inches away from his face when he heard a gunshot ring out from behind him. Daryl watched in horror as her warm and sticky blood splattered up his face and her body fell back onto the ground. He felt arms wrap around his body and start to drag him away from her. His one _love._ Before he knew it or react to it, he found himself screaming her name as he was hauled away from the person he loved.

**A/N: So this is the edited version off chapter 1, I personally think it's better than the previous, as always reviews are appreciated :) thanks for reading **


	2. Chapter 2: Waking up

**A/N: so obviously I'm not that cruel (well in this story anyways) so you can all probably guess what happens in this chapter :) again this is the edited version, fixing all the older chapters, have to have an excuse to not do chemistry homework and this is the best one :3 enjoy and review :) x**

**Chapter 2: Waking up**

Daryl shot up straight his bed. His breathing was rapid as he tried to gain control over his thoughts. A dream. It was only a dream. So why did it feel so real? Why did he still feel so worried? Daryl ran a hand through his hair and sighed in frustration as he lay back on the bed. He just stared at the ceiling, trying to get back to sleep, but sleep evaded him now. His mind was running on overload as he thought about Carol, and the more he thought about her the more anxious he became. Even though he knew fine rightly she was safe and sound in the cell next to him.

All these thoughts about Carol were driving him crazy. He swore he could still feel her soft lips on his. Damn it Daryl. He'd never thought about Carol like that before, well not really. Images of her getting bit kept running through his mind until he couldn't take it anymore. Before he knew it he was standing outside her cell. Daryl didn't even know what he was doing there, or what he was going to say. But he just felt an urge to be close to her and to know that she was ok.

Daryl knocked softy on the bars before moving the sheet and slowly easing the barred doors open. There she was, lying peacefully in her bed, facing the wall, turned so he wasn't able to see her face. She looked so perfect in her sleep, but then again she always looked perfect to him.

"Tha fucks wrong with ya man"

Daryl mumbled silently and angrily to himself as he thought about sliding into the bed beside her and holding her close to him. Oh for Christ's sake Daryl quit kiddin' yourself, there aint no way you'd stand a chance with someone as perfect as Carol. There is no way she'd even think twice about him, not with people like Rick as an option, or so he had convinced himself. Besides, Carol and his relationship was simply platonic, nothing would happen even if he did stop bein' such a pussy and made a move on her.

Now he knew she was safe he should leave, but instead he found himself continue to just standthere, watching her sleep, and he didn't know why. Lord he knew how creepy that sounded. Just as he was about to begrudging leave Carol turned around and that's when he got a good look at her sleeping form.

Daryl mentally absorbs everything about her, how her body shines in the soft moonlight, how peaceful her face looks as sleeps, and how her eyes sparkle as the moon reflects off them. Wait, what? Shit she's awake!

He didn't know what to do, he couldn't keep staring at her because he would get embarrassed, but at the same time he couldn't just leave because it would make it awkward at the fact that he had just been watching her sleep and ran off when she caught him redhanded. No, he would stay and face her, but he would have to stop staring at her like some sort of pervert.

"Daryl, are you ok?"

Carol was staring him with such intensity that he squirmed slightly where he stood.

"Uh, um ye-yeah. It's.. never mind, y'all just go back ta sleep. I'll go now."

Daryl turned towards the door to leave but he suddenly felt something grab hold of his arm. He natually tensed at the contact but relaxed when he looked down to see it was only Carol. She patted the spot on the bed next to her, signalling for him to sit with her and he did as she had asked.

"What's wrong Daryl?"

She asked softly, barely above a whisper. He didn't entirely know how to answer that question. Where do you begin to explain to your best friend that you saw them get bit by a walker, have her say she loved him, then proceed to kiss her last breath away. There's not exactly a how-to manual for that. After a few minutes of debating how he should word it, he spoke.

"I had a dream about you"

He looked over at Carol as he spoke and noticed she was staring at him and he didn't fail to noticed that a small blush had crept onto her face and she stuttered.

"O-oh I- uh y-you don't have to- uh say anymore."

It took Daryl a minute to realise what she was hinting at. She thought he was talking about having sex with her and when he did realise he felt his face start to blush too.

"Oh, no. No. Not that,"

Daryl managed to choke out before chuckling a little then continued, smile firmly in place.

"No, I had a dream where I saw you get bit, and I know it was only a dream but it just felt so real. That's why when I woke up I had to come to make sure you were ok."

Daryl nervously looked down at his hands as he waited for Carol to say something in response. When suddenly he heard an odd noise come from beside him and as he glanced over at Carol he saw that she was giggling. Actually giggling, because of him, he felt slightly smug at that fact. Plus he'd never heard her giggle before but it sounded like music to his ears, so much so he didn't even realise that he had started to laugh too.

A few minutes later they had both stopped laughing and just sat beside each other with huge grins plastered across their faces.

"So, how long were you staring at me then Dixon?"

Carol looked up at him with a twinkle in her eye, knowing far too well that the question would make him uncomfortable and squirm in the spot. No he wasn't going to let her get a reaction, so instead Daryl just looked at her and winked before getting on his feet and leaving the room. This time actually making it to his cell door before he felt something spin him around and pin him up against the wall.

His natural reaction is that it's a walker, so he reaches for his knife, but quickly stops when he looks down to see that it's only Carol. He instantly notices how her body was pressed flush up against his and she was leaning dangerously close to his face. Daryl felt himself getting uncomfortable at the close proximity, not in a bad way, but in a way that would surely repulse her. But at the same time he wasn't prepared to let her move just yet, finding he rather liked the closeness. Of course Daryl being Daryl he would have to pretend to be mad, so that's what he did.

"What the hell woman? I thought ya were a walker."

Daryl looked down at her, tryin to put on a convincing glare. He stared into her deep blue eyes as she spoke back to him.

"I asked you a question, expecting you to squirm and I didn't get a reaction at all,"

She leaned in even closer, if that was even possible, so her face was only millimetres away from his and he could feel her breath on his lips. Its took all his will power to not lan in ever so slightly and close the gap between them. No Dixon, concentrate. He continued to look at her as she finished

"so this was the next best thing."

She smirked at him before backing away and walking back to her cell. Daryl almost instantly missed her body next to his.

"Good night Daryl"

Carol turned and winked at him before going into to her cell. He was surprised that she didn't mention his bodies reaction to her being pressed up against him. Fucking woman having that effect on him. Daryl was going to have to learn how to control himself before he did something stupid that they would both regret. With a final sigh of frustration h walked into his cell and went back to sleep.

**A/N: So this is again the newer version of this chapter so please leave a review of what you think of it, be as honest and as brutal as you like, can't improve if you don't tell me what you did and didn't like :) peace x**


	3. Chapter 3: Revenge

**A/N: hello there people of the intranets :3 so as I have a pattern going on here, this is the edited version of chapter 3, because the old one looked really bad and I can make it better now. So low and behold; Enjoy and Review**

**Chapter 3: Revenge**

Daryl woke up when he felt the light shining in on his eyes. He presumed that he had slept in ever so slightly but decided he would go hunting because they needed the food. Plus thats not to mention they'd need extra food this winter what with Woodberry living in the prison now.

Daryl got up and slowly stretched, trying to loosen his muscles a little. Before he walked out of his cell and turned to head down the stairs, towards the prisons kitchen to get some breakfast.

When he walked in he was pleasantly greeted to see that only Carol was there, sipping on a cup of coffee. Daryl decided there and then that it was time for revenge for her stunt last night. He walked in stealthily silent, his plan already formed in his head.

Daryl was now standing behind Carol and he tightly wrapped his arms around her chest pinning her arms down. She let out a scared squeal and tried to free her arms, but without much success. Daryl was trying his hardest not laugh as she tried to get free of his grip. He couldn't help it anymore though. Once she started to swear at him, he burst out in a fit of laughter.

He let her go to enable himself to hold onto the table to stop from doubling over with laughter. Carol turned and looked at Daryl with fury in her eyes, and before he could defend himself she slapped him across the face, _hard_.

**Carol's POV**

Carol had been sitting for some time now in the kitchen, just drinking her cup of coffee, which was almost cold now because she had been so distracted from thinking about Daryl last night. She had been so tempted to kiss him when he was only millimetres away from her, but she knew it would ruin their friendship. That's not including the fact that there's no way he would ever think about her in that way, not with younger women like Karen from Woodberry being here now. And she would hate herself if she ruined the relationship, that she spent so much time trying to gain, all because she fancied the man.

She suddenly felt something wrap their arms around her and she screamed in shock. She couldn't tell who it was and she started to fear it was a walker so she reached for her knife but it was out of her grasp.

After struggling for a few more moments she knew it wasn't a walker because it would've bit her by now, which lead to the conclusion that it was someone from the prison or Woodberry.

"Get the fuck off me, you dirty son of a bitch! Who do you think you are making me think you're a fucking _walker_!"

Carol practically spat the words at the person, she was in such a rage right now. She felt the grip around her loosen and then finally disappear. The she heard a rare noise. Daryl Dixons laugh.

Carol sharply turned around and saw Daryl leaning against the table next to the one she had been sitting at. She got up abruptly and took two massive strides to stand in front of him, and then without giving him any time to react, she struck him across the face as hard as she could.

Daryl stopped laughing that moment at looked at her in shock, his hand going up to the side of his face which she had hit.

"What the hell Daryl! I thought you were a walker! I believed I was going to die, why would you do that for?"

Carol could feel her face turning red from bad temper and as she stared at him with daggers shooting out of her eyes as she waited for his reply.

**Daryl's POV**

_"...why the hell did you do that for?" _

Daryl couldn't help but smile at how mad she was at him, she looked so cute when she glared at him like that. Ok Daryl snap out of it, yer gunna have to reply to her before she slaps ya again. Woman's got some hidden strength, he must remember to ask Rick about starting a training group. But right now he had more important things to worry about; Carols rage.

"Well I thought it was hilarious."

Daryl's voice was laced with amusement and he widely smiled at her before continuing,

"Plus I had to get back at ya for last night, this seemed only fair."

He watched her expression change from wanting to murder him on the spot, to confused, to at last, amused. He heard he start to laugh lightly, and after a few minutes the two of them we standing beside each other, doubled over with laughter.

"Ha. Very good Dixon. Just, don't use your amazing hunter powers so I can't hear you next time. That's just an unfair advantage."

She bumped his shoulder with hers, and Daryl looked down at the ground, a small blush crawled across his face from her compliment.

"Ok I'll try, but no more pinning me up against walls late at night"

Carol smiled up wickedly at him

"I can't make any promises, I like making you squirm"

With that she started to walk away to the cooker.

"Come on then hunter, guess I'm gunna have to feed you and all now too"

Carol turned and winked at him. He growled lightly and replied

"What ya mean by that woman, I'm tha one that gets all tha food ta feed ya. Bit unfair ta turn that on me just 'cause I ain' gunna cook it."

Daryl began to walk towards Carol who at this point was pouring some kind of lukewarm porridge into two bowls for him and her.

"Aw poor baby, too lazy to even cook some porridge. But don't you worry, I'm always gunna be here to cook your squirrels."

Daryl, who was now standing directly behind her, felt strongly compelled to put his arms around her waist and pull her close to him, but he contained himself, not wanting to ruin their friendship. That's all she wanted to be, friends, and he'd rather that than have nothing at all between them because he did something stupid.

**Carol's POV**

She could tell Daryl was behind her now, and she wished nothing more than for him to wrap his arms around her and to hold her close to him. But Carol knew Daryl would never want something like that with a beaten old house-wife like her. So instead she tried to ignore his presence and pretend that he wasn't there.

Carol turned around, two bowls in hand, and gave one to him. He smiled slightly and mumbled thanks before starting to scoff down the porridge, which was gone in 30 seconds flat. She was still picking at hers and she noticed that he was watching her, but didn't mention it, and just continued to eat.

He must have been waiting for her to finish because as soon as the last spoonful was swallowed he started to speak, looking right at her.

"Em Carol, could I ask you to do something with me?"

Daryl sounded so worried, almost like he was afraid she would reject him. Oh if only he knew how much he meant to her, how she could never reject him.

"Yeah of course Daryl, what is it?"

She was looking at him intently and noticed he began to bite his thumb mid-sentence. So obviously whatever he needed to ask her had made him nervous. He always bites his thumb when he's nervous, another trait of his she found very cute. Wait did she just link the word cute to Daryl Dixon? At her thoughts he stopped biting his thumb, looked down at the ground and spoke.

"I was lookin' ta know how ya would feel 'bout lettin' me teach ya how ta fight properly and how ta hunt a little. Yo-you don't have ta if you don't wanna, it was just an idea. I think it could be good to teach ya how to fight, now that I know first hand how hard ya can hit."

He laughed a lightly at the thought and she smiled at the sound. His laugh was so rare that liked to just listen to it. Try to memorise each note because she didn't know how long it would be till she heard it again.

Carol had been so lost in her own thoughts that she forgotten that he had asked her something and he was starting to look a little uncomfortable, obviously thinking she didn't want to train with him when she most definitely did.

"I would love that Daryl, it's a very good idea"

Carol finally managed to spit out and she smiled at him warmly to confirm her reply before continuing.

"and yeah, sorry about hitting you. It's just the fact that I was so certain that it was a walker, then when I noticed it wasn't trying to bite me I knew it was a person."

Carol paused slightly not sure how to continue, without pissing Daryl off in the process. She sighed knowing that it was impossible and just said it out right.

"I got mad because I thought it was that boy that's always flirting with me, and following me like a lost puppy. Tyreese."

**Daryl's POV**

_"...Tyreese." _

His head shot up at that fact. The name kept racing through his mind. _Tyreese_.

Daryl couldn't believe how pissed he was at the thought of another man flirting with _his woman. _Wait, since when was Carol his woman? Look that doesn't matter, right now he has more pressing matters to deal with first.

"What tha' fuck ya mean he's always flirtin' with ya? Why didn't ya tell me this, I've been lookin' for a reason to punch that man for a while now."

He wasn't lying, he didn't fail to notice how he eye fucked Carol everywhere she went, and he didn't like it one bit. He found that he was balling up his fists with a rage he couldn't control.

Daryl couldn't believe someone else, who they'd only knew for a few months, had more balls than him to make a move on Carol. Damnit Daryl, if Merle was here he'd be slaggin' tha shit outa ya.

'_why don't ya just grow a pair and put the wood to lil mousey over there already?' _

He knew all to well that that's what his brother would be saying if he was here right now.

"Because I don't want you to get hurt Daryl, so I didn't mention it."

Her words stabbed at his heart. She cared about what happened to him and how he felt, she really cared. Not the type of _care_ these Woodberry people had for him. They only cared that he brought food back for them.

"Ya don't gotta worry about me,"

Daryl mumbled back to her, he paused slightly and looked at her, wanting to see her face as he finished his sentence.

"I'm the one who has to worry about you. I can't lose ya Carol, ya mean too much to me."

He started to bite at his thumb because he was worried she would laugh, and reject him.

Suddenly she was moving toward him and pulled his hand away. She tilted his chin down slightly so they were at the same angle as each other and he had no choice but to stare into Carols eyes. Without so much as a heart beat in between, he felt her lips crash against his.

A/N: cliff hanger kinda :3 ha so yeah this chapter changed quite a bit but I think it works a lot better for it :) as always hope you enjoyed it. Reviews appreciated :D peace x


	4. Chapter 4: Distractions

**A/N: Hello there my pretties how are you? **

**So yet again this is the edited/fixed version of chapter 4, fixing all the stuff is doing my head in but I know it has to be done. Plus it gives me something to do on the bus to school :P**

**Haha so any who, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and it would make my day if you left a review so go crazy :D x**

**Chapter 4:** **Distractions**

**Carols POV**

Carol couldn't contol herself anymore, she stepped over to a nevous Daryl who was biting his thumb. She pulled his hand away, tilted his head slightly so he was looking at her, and without hesitation kissed him.

Carol completely ignored the fact that she had most likely ruined their friendship. Just hearing him say how she meant too much to him. Those words flipped a switch in her mind and in that moment she couldn't care less about the consequences of her actions. In that moment of madness she had a deep desire to kiss him and nothing else would do.

Carol felt him tense and knew instantly that he didn't feel the same way about her. The reality suddenly hitting her like a tonne of bricks._ Oh god_, she just broke her one true friendship. No she didn't break it, she _obliterated_ it by doing the one thing she knew Daryl hated. Physical contact. Not to mention she did the most invading one, she kissed him. Was _still_ kissing him.

At that thought she began to pull away but gasped when she felt Daryl wrap his arm around her waist and pull her closer to him. Then to her delight he boldly ran his tongue along her bottom lip, begging her for an entrance, which she gladly gave him. Their tongues instantly fighting for dominance. Carol moaned in pleasure and wrapped her arms around Daryls neck, pulling him even closer. If that was physically possible.

When the pair begrudgingly pulled away from each other they were both out of breath and panting heavily. Carol smiled and rested her head against his chest.

"Huh, glad ya feel tha same way then"

Daryl sounded very breathless and she smiled at the fact that she had made him so.

"Right back at you hunter"

She paused slightly still trying to catch her breath before continuing, her voice wavering as she spoke next, fear building in her chest at the possible responses.

"So what happens now?"

**Daryls POV**

_"So what happens now?" _

Carols words raced around in his head. _What did happen next? _He thought sharply to himself. Lord knows he wanted to keep seeing her, if you could call it that, but he knew he didn't want the whole group to know.

"Can we uh just keep it between us, just for now. I'm not ready for the rest of tha group to know. That's if you wanna have an us."

Daryl stammered the last of his sentence, filled with a fear that she had only kissed him in the heat of the moment, and it not meaning anything to her. In an attempt to lighten the mood he continued.

"S'pecially Glenn. Lil bitch would never shut his mouth 'bout it, and he's bad enough as it is."

He looked down to see how she'd react, and when she started to laugh he took it as a good thing, but of course there was a little nagging voice in the back of the head telling him she's laughing at him not with him. But then she smiled sweetly up at him, stood on her tip toes and placed a chastised kiss on his lips. With that, all his worried were gone.

"Of course I want an us Daryl."

Carol giggled lightly. It sounded as sweet as honey to his ears. When she stopped giggling she continued on with her response, still smiling at him.

"And I'm happy enough with not telling anyone, I don't really mind. So long as I'm with you."

Not needing anymore of a response Daryl passionatly kissed her again and then, when they were both breathless from the kiss, rested his forhead against hers.

"I can do that."

He smiled at her slightly before stepping away to lean against the counter.

"I should probably go huntin' now, I'm already late for goin' out."

He sighed in disappointment, not wanting to leave anytime soon. In an attempt to keep the mood up he threw in a joke, just for good measure.

"And you distractin' ma didn't exactly help either."

He winked at her and she just fake pouted, clearly not happy at his departure either. He just chuckled lightly.

"I'll be back before dark."

Daryl stepped back in front of her and kissed her forehead sweetly. Carol just smiled and him and said what she always did before he went out on a hunt or run, as though nothing had changed.

"Stay safe."

With that he kissed her forehead again and walked to his cell, grabbed his crossbow and walked straight out through the prison gates towards the forest. The one place in this world that hadn't changed at all.

**Carols POV**

Carol was always worried when Daryl left to go on a run or to go hunting, and today was no different. She was worried as hell about him, but she had an odd feeling of peace inside of her. It peeved her slightly, but she understood why it was there. She knew it was because all the other times he went out Carol would be afraid Daryl wouldn't come back and how he would _never_ know how she felt about him. However now that she had expressed a minor fraction of her deep feelings for him (by kissing Daryl) it felt like part of a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

In a desperate attempt to distract herself, Carol began to make breakfast for the rest of the prison group and the members of Woodberry. Slowly but surely everyone started to file into the kitchen, and one by one Carol filled up their bowls and handed it to them. Each of them said their thanks or gave her a slight nod in appreciation.

Now that everyone had eaten, Carol wiped her hands on a towel, as she did she took a scan of the area until her eyes landed on Rick, who was sitting at a table in the corner by himself. Carol began walking over to the table where Rick was sitting eating his breakfast, she sat down in the chair beside him and spoke.

"Hey Rick"

Rick looked up at her and smiled

"Morning Carol, have you seen Daryl this morning?"

Carol could feel heat start to creep onto her cheeks but she contolled herself enough so she hoped it wasn't noticeable.

"Uh yeah I seen him"

Carol very noticeably stuttered but if Rick noticed he didn't act like it. She mentally slapped herself and continued.

"He came down early to get breakfast before going hunting. Said he'd be back before dark."

Carol smiled at Rick before looking back down at her hands which had suddenly become very interesting.

"I'll go check on Judith. Give her a bottle. See you later Rick."

"Thanks Carol"

Carol smiled warmly at him one more time before walking over to the kitchen, grabbing one of Judith's bottles and making it up with the correct amount of formula and bottled water. Once that was done she started over towards Ricks cell which he shared with Carl and baby Judith. She looked into the make shift cot and cooed.

"Why hello there beautiful, did you have a nice long sleep? Yeah? Thats good, now come on to I give you some food."

Carol continued to coo nonsense to the little girl the whole time as she hungrily drank the bottle in record time.

"Now then why don't we go see who we can go talk too."

Judith giggled a very bubbly response and so Carol took that as a yes and began to walk down the stairs to where everyone else was, a wriggling Judith in hand.

**Daryls POV**

Daryl had managed to only shoot a few squirrels and a rabbit, he was about to call it a day when he saw fresh tracks on the ground, he prayed to God (if there even was a God) that it was a buck. One buck could feed the whole group for a couple of weeks so he easily decided to try catch it before dark.

_Thump. _

"Hell yeah."

Daryl quietly said to himself. He had managed to track and kill the buck in less than what he presumed to be two hours. He had also managed to get a few more squirrels along the way. Daryl was quite proud of himself for ending up with such a big catch.

He quickly walked over to the buck, not wanting to have a repeat of what happened at the quarry. He grabbed its two back legs and began his long treck back to the prison.

Daryl could see the prison walls, and was never so grateful for the sight either. His muscles were screaming out in pain having heaved the buck such a long distance. He waved his arms to Glenn who was on watch, signalling for him to open the gates. Daryl continued to pull at the buck until he was right at the gate, which was then pulled open by Carl. Daryl slipped in, and as soon as he was the gate was closed quickly by Carl again. Michonne had come over to help him carry the buck the rest of the way, he had never been so grateful to see that woman in all his life. Just as they had reached the back of the prison where Daryl liked to skin the animals Rick came out.

"Holy shit Daryl! That thing's massive."

Rick gaped at him as though he had never seen such a thing in his life, Daryl chuckled lightly.

"Ain't that big, actually quite small for a buck if ya ask me."

Rick just shook his head, knowning the Dixon wouldn't accept a compliment. So instead he slapped him on the back, and walked away. Daryl turned back around to look at the buck and instead found himself staring at Michonne. He had forgotten the woman was there.

"Um ya can go now, I'll skin 'em"

Michonne just nodded and walked back inside. She didn't speak much, one thing he liked about her. Daryl sat down on the ground and began to skin the smaller animals first, he had just finished the first squirrel when he heard someone sit down beside him, he glanced over and saw it was Carol. He smiled a small smile at her before going back to skinning the next squirrel. Without asking Carol picked up a rabbit and began to repeat what he was doing to the squirrel, she wasn't as fast as him but it still helped to speed up the process. Plus, he liked her company.

"I'm glad you made it back safe."

Carol smiled over at him, he stopped skinning and looked at her,

"Course I made it back safe, I got you ta come back ta."

He saw her cheeks blush slightly and he lightly chuckled. Daryl wiped his hands on his trousers to rid them of most of the blood before reaching across. He gently turned her head so she was looking at him. He leaned across and placed a small kiss on her lips before leaning back and proceeding to skin the animals he had caught, side by side, with the one person that mattered in his life, _Carol_.

**A/N: Well I hope you guys enjoyed that :) this chapter didn't change overly much, more so the first part of the chapter, the end bit of Daryl's I didn't know how to change because the next chapter resolves around it but anyways :3**

**Reviews as always are appreciated**

**Keep Calm and stalk Norman Reedus**

**Haha bye guys :D**


	5. Chapter 5: Fights

**A/N: hey guys chapter 5 now, yay. **

**Lets throw a walker party :3**

**Ha! **

**Anyways, this chapter has been edited so hopefully it should be longer and easier to read than the old one :)**

**Make a nerds day and Review for only 1minute of you time ;)**

**Disclaimer: Don't own blah blah blah**

**Chapter 5: Fights**

**Carols POV**

Daryl and Carol had just sat in silence the rest of the time they skinned the animals, neither speaking much but both content with the silence. Carol stopped what she was doing and looked at him.

"You want me to help you skin the buck?"

"Nah y'all need ta get a shower."

Daryl paused slightly then finished, a wicked glint in his eyes

"Ya smell real bad"

He smiled over at her and she hit his shoulder playfully.

"I do not!"

She exclaimed, putting on her most convincing 'hurt' expression. Which wasn't very good.

"And thats rich coming from you, all you smell of is sweat and forest."

She continued to stare at him, trying to act angry now but failing miserably, and instead found herself laughing.

"Alright then woman, go take yer shower. I'll see ya when I bring tha meat in, 'kay?"

She nodded at him in response and got up to head towards the door leading into the prison. Just as she began to stand up Daryl grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him and placed a long kiss on her lips. She smiled before standing up properly and walking inside.

Carol felt far more refreshed and renewed after taking a shower, some things never changed. Not even in an apocalypse. She was so content in her own world that she didnt even notice someone was standing outside the bathroom door and she walked straight into them.

"Oh sorry"

She felt arms grab onto the tops of hers to prevent her from falling. When she looked up she saw it was Tyreese who was holding onto her.

"Why I don't mind Carol"

He flirtatiously replied to her, rubbing his hands up and down her arms slightly as he did so. She mentally hurled at the touch before slowly pulling herself out of his grasp.

"Yeah well I do"

She quietly mumbled to herself before walking around him towards her cell. Not looking back at him at all.

"Aw now come one Carol don't be like that"

Tyreese was calling after her, asking her to stop and to just talk to him, but she simply ignored him and walked into her cell, locked the door and pulled the curtain across, right in his face.

Tyreese had been standing ouside her cell for what must have been at least half an hour now. Not once did he stop begging for her to come out and talk to him. No matter how many times she told him she wasn't interested and to just leave her be. _Where was Daryl?_ Thats all Carol could think to herself, he never took this long to skin his catches. She'd been gone for over an hour now. Carol just hoped he'd come soon to get rid of Tyreese.

The man had stopped begging for her to come out, to very graphically describing how sexy she was and what he'd like to do to her. He made a particularly disturbing comment about her chest.

"Piss off! I'm not interested!"

Was the ever friendly reply from Carol, but he didn't listen. She hoped he would be offended by her swearing because she rarely swore. But he just proceeded to describe what he would do to her when they were '_alone_'. She physically gagged at the thought of having sex with him. Could he not take a hint that she wasn't interested. Boy was he dumb.

Carol just sat on her bed, knees pulled up to her chest waiting for the only man she wanted to come save her, _Daryl_.

**Daryls POV**

Daryl took his time to today, he had finished skinning the buck a good 15 minutes ago but he was in no rush to go back inside, so instead he went and started to hang out some of the meat to dry so it could be turned into to jerky and last longer over winter.

Once that was finished he went inside, got some clean clothes and headed to the shower room to freshen up, for he was covered in blood, both animal and walker. The group didnt exactly have many clothes, all in all they a maximum of 2 tops and 2 bottoms each. Except lil asskicker, Daryl secretly picked up new clothes and toys for her whenever he was out on runs, he loved that child. He'd never admit that to anyone though. They all thought he had turned soft enough as it is.

He was on his way over to the shower block but thought he would check on Carol first, just make sure she was ok. Daryl was always paranoid about her safety. So he turned and headed the opposite direction, heading to her cell now, and thats when he heard it.

Daryl stood against the wall and peered over to see Tyreese standing outside _his_ womans cell, begging her to talk to him. The black man stopped begging her, and Daryl thought it was over. But was he wrong. Very wrong.

The man practically begged Carol to let him stick the wood to her, in the words of his brother Merle. Tyreese then started to describe to Carol how sexy she was, how perky her breasts were and what he'd like to do to her. At this point Daryl snapped completely. He threw his clothes to the ground and stomped over to the man hassling his Carol. Without any thought Daryl grabbed the mans arm, yanked at it so he was looking at him, and then punched the son on a bitch in the jaw. Tyreese stumbled to the ground and Daryl was instantly on top of him, punching the man each time he spoke.

"Thats for hittin' on Carol."

Punch one.

"That's for being a dick."

Punch two.

"Thats cause I don' like ya."

Punch three.

"Thats for not taking a hint that she aint interested."

Punch four.

"Now don't ever speak to her again."

Daryl seethed his final point at Tyreese, feeling slightly better having beaten him the fifth and final punch was thrown and Daryl got up. Tyreese's face was bloody and swollen, Daryl knuckles were hurt and bleeding, but he didn't care about either of those things. All he cared about was making sure Carol was ok. He turned around and started to go over to her cell when he felt something tackle him to the ground.

Daryl was now faced with a clearly pissed of Tyreese (for obvious reasons) sitting ontop of him as he began to punch at him. Daryl was fighting back, punching the man in the face again, Tyreese fought him a lot like Merle used to so he had a good idea of how to defend himself in this situation. But then to Daryl's complete horror the man started to hit on him like his dad used to. And as if that wasnt bad enough Tyreese spoke.

"What makes you think you can hit me! You're no good for her, I'm much better for Carol than some worthless piece of redneck shit like you!"

Tyreese was spitting on Daryl as he spoke, but was oblivious to the fact because he was so angry. The black mans words were so similar to those his dad used to say that Daryl began to have a panick attack.

When he was little and his dad beat him Daryl would just curl in a ball and take all the punches. But sometimes the words his dad said ended up giving him a panick attack and leave him unable to breathe. Well that was what was happening now. Daryl was curling into a ball and struggling to breathe.

Tyreese just continued to swing at him, completely oblivious to the fact that Daryl had begun to relive one of the times his dad beat him, and he forgot the world around him and began to cry out.

"Stop! Please stop dad! I-I didn' mean ta drop yer drink. Dad! Dad im sorry! No, no. No! Not the poker. _DAD_!"

Daryl screamed out the last part as in his memory his dad stabbed him along the back with a red hot poker iron. The last thing he remembered was someone screaming something before Daryl passed out.

**Carol POV**

Carol was utterly repulsed at how Tyreese was discribing her. But luckily it didn't last long as she soon heard Daryl come and punch the man. Normally she would stop him, tell him to just leave it alone. However Tyreese clearly needed this to be beaten into him, so she just sat and continued to listen to Daryl punch him a number of times, defending her with each blow. At that fact she smiled a small smile to herself.

When she heard no more punching she presumed he was done, she got up and stood near he door. She could hear Daryl's soft footsteps gliding towards her cell. Carol was about to open it and thank her guardian, but before she could reach it she heard someone get tackled and more punches being thrown.

To her horror they weren't being thrown by Daryl, but by Tyreese. She could hear the man right as rain as he dissed Daryl calling him a '_worthless piece of redneck shit._' Carol felt anger burn inside her and she lunged for the door, ready to murder the man herself when she heard Daryl scream out in pain. Why was he calling Tyreese _dad_? She was utterly confused. However the shouts didn't stop there.

Daryl began to cry out in fear, begging his dad to stop, even though it wasn't the man who was hitting him. Suddenly the realisation of what was happening occurred to her and it hit Carol like a tonne of bricks.

Carol knew now that Daryl must be reliving one of the abusive attacks from his dad. She knew all to well how realistic they were, the flashbacks had happened to her too after Ed.

She knew she had to stop this, so she ran out of her cell and saw the sight before her and nearly cried. Even through Daryl's screams of pain and begging Tyreese continued to punch him. Carol balled her fists up so much she was surprised her fingers didn't snap off.

"OYE!"

Tyreese stopped what he was doing and looked up at her,

"Carol-"

She instantly cut the man off with her screams,

"Get the fuck off of him before I go over there and rip your fucking balls off and make you eat them you utter bastard!"

Carol was surprised at her use of language, but she was beyond caring at this point. She watched as Tyreese stared at her, completely dumbfounded.

"Did you not hear me you fuck head!"

With those words the man got up and walked away from Daryl who had now stopped begging for his father to stop and lay passed out on the ground. Carol couldn't see him but she could sense that Tyreese was standing in the shadows, well out of the way. Safe move.

Without so much as a second glance she ran over to Daryl. Carol began to inspect his face, it was badly bruised and covered in blood, his nose looked broken but apart from that he was fine. She wouldn't be able to tell if he had a minor concussion intil he woke up, although she doubted he did. Carol didn't even realise the rest of the group had ran into the room as she inspected Daryl until she saw Hershel kneel down on the other side of Daryl and begin to inspect him again.

"What the fuck happened Carol?"

She looked up at Rick before replying.

"That son of a bitch over there,"

She aggresively pointed at Tyreese then continued,

"was trying to convince me to let him fuck me!"

She spat the words out ferociously.

"I told him I wasnt interested but he just wouldn't listen, he stood outside my cell for at least half an hour shouting in sick sexual statements. Then Daryl came and punched him a few times, hoping he would stop after that. When Daryl was finished he began to walk towards my cell when Tyreese tackled him to the ground and started to call him a worthless piece of shit and began to hit him."

Carol tool a deep breath, willing he body to calm down before finishing off,

"whatever he said or done caused Daryl to have a flashback of a time where his dad had beat him, the flashbacks are very real, you forget the world around you and completely relive the moment, all the pain you felt then, you feel again. He was begging who he thought was his dad, but was actually Tyreese, to stop. But of course _HE_ didn't."

Carol hatefully stared at Tyreese before looking back at Rick

"When I came out I, well I'm sure you all heard what happened."

Carol looked down and Daryl and brushed some of his bangs out of his face. When she looked up she watched as Rick got Tyreese in a head lock and kneed him in the stomach before throwing him into one of the unused cells and locking him in it. Good, she thought to herself.

Everyone tried to help with the unconscious Daryl. Hershel had ordered Glenn to go get the medical table so they could wheel him to his cell and make it easier to check him over. Once that was done and it was confirmed that the only serious damage was a broken nose and the possibility of a minor concussion, everyone visibly sighed in relief and began to start normal duties again.

Carol however stayed put in the chair at the side of Daryls bed. She wanted to be there when he woke up. Rick came in with food for her at dinner and Hershel came in every so often to check on his condition. Except for that though, everyone just left Carol alone to sit with him and he thoughts of how she caused this.

It was late at night now and she was tired from worrying about Daryl. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep in the chair then. Her hand still gripping onto Daryl's, so he knew she was there when he woke up.

**A/N: So what did y'all think of this chapter? This edit took me awhile because of the links in phrases between some of the POV's which I had to get right. I just re-read this and noticed the worlds biggest fuck up, but its fixed now my pretties.**

**I also apologise for the amount of swearing from Carol, I know she wouldn't swear much but just imagine its because of Daryl. And also sorry at the O0C-ness of Tyreese, I just need someone to use as a bitch and he fits hehe :D**

**Also You better appreciate this halter because I sat up till 11pm doing it and I have a social tomorrow which isn't over till 1:30am so yeah XD haha **

**As always feel free to Review my pretties and I shall see you all in the next chapter ;) peace x**


	6. Chapter 6: Mattresses

**A/N: Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No! It's chapter 6!**

**Haha yeah chapter 6, the last edit before the story can continue :D hurray :)**

**As always I hope you enjoy this chapter and feel free to leave a review :)**

**Disclaimer: Don't own walking dead unfortunately :( Kirkland and AMC do, the lucky buggers :3 **

**Daryls POV**

_"Please no more dad!" _

_Daryl cried out as his father lashed the belt against his back again, the pain was agonising, but what was worse was the fact he didnt know why he was being whipped. Normally his dad would wait until something happened before hitting him, but recently it was becoming more and more common for his dad to just lash out at him. He screamed out as his father striked him yet again. _

_"Don't be such a fucking pussy boy! Dixons don't cry, not even fucked up ones like ya!" _

_Daryl recoiled back from his fathers verbal abuse, the words hurting him more than the belt. He whimpered and curled into a ball on the ground, praying his father would leave him alone if he curled up small enough, but he had no such luck. _

_"Tha fuck ya think yer doin' boy!" _

_A shrill scream sliced the air as Daryl's father sunk his boot into his back._

_"Stop whimpering like yer ma! Face me and take it like a man!" _

_Again his father kicked his back. The pain was making his body go numb, until eventually his fathers kicks just felt like pressure on his back, rather than the agonising pain it was in reality._

_Daryl must have passed out sometime between his dad kicking him, and bringing cigarette butts into contact with his fresh whip wounds. For when he woke up he was still lying on the floor and all was silent apart from the muffled sounds of his father screwing another useless whore. _

_Quietly as he could he stood up on shaky legs and headed out the front door. As soon as he was outside the house he made a mad dash for the forest. The one place he was safe in his hellish world. Daryl didn't stop running when he reached the forest though, he just kept running and running until his legs could no longer support his weight and he collapsed onto the ground, where he curled into a ball and cried himself to sleep. Again_.

When Daryl woke up he found himself to no longer be lying on the forest floor, but rather in a bed in a small prison cell. He sat bolt upright, completely disoriented, until he looked over to his right to see a familiar face sitting asleep in the chair next to his bed. Memories of the previous events came flooding back to him. Kissing Carol. Hunting. _Tyreese_. Yes, Daryl remembered it all now, but it still didn't explain how the hell he ended up in a cell, with his hand bandaged and a splitting sore head.

"Fuck.."

He quietly mumbled to himself when he started to get light headed from sitting up so quickly. Although he mustn't have been as quiet as he thought, because as soon as the words left his mouth Carol shot upright from her perch on his chair and stared at him in disbelief, before pouncing on him. She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. The momentum knocked Daryl over, and unintentionally left him lying on the bed with Carol practically straddling him.

At first Daryl was rigid from the unexpected contact, but tried to snap out of it, the memory of his dads belt still vivid in his memory. He mentally shook himself. This was _Carol_ god damn it. She would never hurt him. So he wrapped his arm around Carols waist, effectively pulling her closer to him. They just stayed like that for a few peaceful moments before Carols body started to shake against him, lightly at first, but quickly developing into heavy sobs that wrecked through her body. '_Shit_' he thought to himself, he wasn't the best at this type of thing. To put it truthfully honest though, he didn't have a fucking clue where to even start to comfort her in this situation. So instead he just lay there, gently rubbing circles with his thumb along her back.

**Carols POV**

Carol couldn't believe it, she thought at first her mind had just imagined the soft cussing of the hunter. However she shot upright anyways with the hope that he really had woken up. When she saw that he was sitting on the bed holding his head adrenalin pumped through her at the sight and she practically tackled him onto the bed. The chair falling behind her. She didn't even speak, just lay contently ontop of him, because right then she started to cry, lightly at first, but ended in full on LOUD sobs. She couldn't control herself though, the fact that she knew he would be ok had been too overwhelming for her.

Carol wasn't aware of how long she had cried before starting to gain control of herself again. From the start she had felt Daryl rub small circles on her back, which at first had made her cry harder, but eventually calmed down her sobs to small little sniffles every now and then.

"Ya ok?"

She could hear the concern in his voice and she nearly started to baul again. Tears started to form in her eyes when she heard Daryl continue to speak, obviously aware of the tears about to fall.

"Oh no ya don't, I've had enough of yer cryin' for one day."

Carol smiled and hit his chest playfully before wiping her eyes, she heard him chuckle lightly and that made her smile even more.

"Oh shut up"

She winked at him, still playful before suddenly turning serious on him, reality sinking in.

"I was so scared Daryl. I-I thought I would lose you. I don't know what I'd ever do if that happend."

"Shhh it's ok, I'm not leavin' ya any time soon"

Daryl's words soothed her, despite the fact she wanted to cry. She held the tears in though because she didn't want to make it awkward between them. Not that it could get anymore awkward at the moment, with her lying on top of him. Practically stradling him. Not that she wouldn't mind stradling him, she had certainly had a LOT of dreams doing far more than just straddling Daryl. But they had only been going out officially for a day. A bit soon to have sex, even in the apocalypse. So instead she just continued to lie ontop of him, and Daryl continued to rub soothing circles on her back. She hadn't realised how tired she had become until she found herself falling asleep, ontop of Daryl, with his arm protectively around her waist.

When Carol woke she felt pleasently rested, but very disoriented. She sat up on the bed. It took her a couple of minutes to realise that she was in Daryl's bed, all beit alone, but still Daryl's bed all the same. She couldn't help herself from bending down and taking a long inhale from his matress, it smelt like him. Like _home_.

"Ya know if yer gunna start smelling my stuff then yer probably gunna have ta wash 'em more"

Carol instantly froze, heat creeping onto her face. She couldn't have been more mortified. She had just been caught by Daryl in the act of sniffing his _mattress_ for Gods sake. Nothing screams '_crazy girlfriend_' more than that. Carol honestly had no idea how to react to this situation, so instead she just sat there on his bed, completely unmoving, not entirely sure how that was going to help her case seeing as he already knew she was awake. She heard light shuffling behind her before a change of weight occurred on the bed. She yelped slightly in surprise as Daryl stealthily wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her down so her head was lying on his chest. She felt his chest rumble under her slightly as he chuckled lightly, from catching her sniffing his mattress or from her reaction to him grabbing her, she didn't know, but she planned on finding out.

"And what are you laughing at Mr Dixon?"

Carol shifted slightly so she could angle her head to look at him properly, she mustered up the most serious face she could. It must have worked because as soon as he looked down at her he stopped laughing.

"'m not laughing."

Was his matter of fact answer. Smart ass. But she planned to make him pay for this.

"Yes you were!"

She exclaimed at him, surprising herself with how angry she actually sounded. She should have done drama in school. Carol watched as he winced ever so slightly at her tone and she felt a slight pang of guilt for falsely making him think she was angry, but she wasn't about to cave yet, she was going to make him suffer more than that.

"How would you know, ya were to busy sniffing my mattress!"

OH! So that's how he's going to play it then. That was such a low hit. Even if it was true. Well two can play at this game.

"Well it's not like you don't go snooping around in my room looking for something to _please_ yourself with!"

She felt Daryl tense monumentally and suddenly found herself uncomfortable with the situation too. Without another word he got up off the bed and walked to the other side of the cell. Carol instantly regretted saying that because she missed his body next to hers, but it was all she could think of in the heat of the moment.

There was a long and painful silence between them before Carol spoke.

"I was only joking when I was being mad."

Carol mumbled, when she looked up she saw Daryl staring at her, he looked like he was in pain. At first she thought it was because of the situation between them. And then she saw it.

Along Daryls side there was a hole in his shirt and blood was seeping out around it.

"Oh my god Daryl! What happened?"

Her voice was laced with concern and she could immediately feel tears forming in her eyes.

"Ain' nothin woman"

He barked back weakly.

"Oh no. Don't you dare start that Daryl! Not now."

Any tears that had been building up were quickly forgotten and replaced with rage at the fact that he hadn't told her about this.

"Sit down right now and take your shirt off"

Carol didnt miss the wild panic and fear that crosed his face at the mention of taking his shirt off.

"I said it ain' nothing"

He didn't sound angry, just scared. Carol realised that Daryl didn't know. He didnt know that she'd already seen his scars and loved him even more for them. She supposed there was no better time than the present to let him know.

"Daryl, I've already seen them."

Her voice was barely audible but he must have heard her because he stiffly nodded and suddenly he was walking towards her while taking his shirt off. He still looked extremely uncomfortable knowing all his scars were on show, and that made her heart break for him. Knowing that he was so ashamed of scars that should make him proud, to say to people that he lived through that.

"Make it quick"

Was his curt reply and she didn't hesitate, she instantly patted the bed signalling for him to sit and she got up to get the small first aid kit in his room. Rick had insisted on keeping a basic first aid kit in everyone's cell, just for minor things, and for in the case of an emergency that we wouldn't have to wait long with no medical supplies at all. Once she had grabbed the kit she turned to him and began to examine the wound, it wasn't deep but it would still need stitches, it also looked like someone had used a small knife to cause it. As Carol began to clean it she spoke softly to him.

"Who did it?"

Carol didnt need to say what she was asking about because she knew Daryl would know she was talking out the wound.

"Tyreese. I was walking past his cell when he shoved a piece of metal from the bunk into it. Didn' say nothin to tha others cause I didn't want 'em fussing round me. So I pulled it out and shoved it through his hand."

Carol couldn't believe what he was telling her, but she didnt speak, knowing he hadn't finished.

"Bitch started crying out, screaming for Rick and Hershel. When they got there Rick glared at me as Tyreese tried to say how I just walked right over to him and shoved it straight through his hand. Rick believed him, having not noticed my side, Hershel however did notice and really quiet angrily pointed it out ta him. Rick tried to apologise but I just stormed off back to my cell."

Carol couldn't contain her anger that was boiling inside her.

"How did Rick believe _him_ over you!"

Her voice sounded venomous.

"I don't know Carol but it doesn' matter anyways, I don't exactly have a high reputation in this place anyways."

That's the final straw that did it for Carol. She hated it when Daryl thought lower of himself. She made quick work of cleaning and stitching his wound. She then stood up swiftly, placed a chaste kiss on his cheek and walked out of his cell. Plan already in her head. How dare he. How dare Rick do that. No one spoke about _her_ Daryl like that without paying the price. And Rick was going to pay big time.

**A/N: So what did you guys think of this chapter? I'm so sorry how much of a dick I'm making Tyreese but I just need him to be one for a bit, I have a really good idea of what to do to him later on in the story so yeah :3**

**Finally I can begin to do new chapters, I've just sickened myself with these ones ;)**

**Now I'm away to eat food :3 **

**haha reviews appreciated :)**


	7. Chapter 7: Punch and Break down

**A/N: OMG guys I'm ready to kill the app I wrote this on, I just finished editing it, and I highlighted it all and rather than hitting copy, I hit paste -_- and it deleted all of it :( grr**

**So anyways I lied I wasn't going to edit this but I did cause I can ;) this whole chapter is in Carol's POV :) **

**Disclaimer: I'm sure you all know the drill. Don't own Walking dead... Damn :P**

Carol stormed into the main cell block, absolutely fuming. She was almost certain that her face was red and knew that her fists were balled up but she wasn't going to stop, Rick deserved this.

"Rick! Come here right now!"

Everyone in the cell block turned and gawked at Carol and the harsh tone her voice held, no one knowing what to do or how to react but stare at her. Rick rounded the corner, slightly out of breath, having obviously ran to the sound of her voice. Good. She thought to herself. I hope it burns in your chest from the lack of oxygen.

"What's wrong Carol? I heard you call"

Rick sounded concerned but Carol blocked out that thought, completely unwilling to change her plans now. With that in mind Carol took a step forward and in one swift movement she punched Rick. She struck the man along the jaw with all the strength she could manage. It must have been a lot though because he was suddenly stumbling backwards, crashing into a table before falling on his ass. There was an audible gasp from the rest of the prison group and the tension was high, no one moving. Rick just stared wide eyed at her, completely taken aback by the sudden assault.

"How could you!"

Carol seethed at him

"How could you believe Tyreese over Daryl? After everything he's done! I mean Jesus Rick! _Seriously_?"

Carol proceeded to glare at the man, impatiently waiting for a response. She heard the gentle sound of Hershels crutches coming up behind her, but she didn't once look away from Rick.

"Carol, how did you expect me to react. All I saw was Tyreese screaming with a shard of metal rammed into his hand. My instant reaction was to accuse Dar.."

Rick never got to finish his sentence because Carol cut him off. Her voice sounded fierce and dominant compared to Ricks timid one at the moment.

"Oh yes! Of _course_ it was. I know, let's all blame the redneck! The same redneck who has kept us all fed and safe for over a year!"

She was even angrier now, feeling as if she was on the verge of a violent break down. One that would hurt Rick a lot more than her. She had to have an inner battle with herself to stop from kicking him in the stomach, which very nearly happened. She felt her foot twitch and obviously Rick did too because he noticeably tensed.

"Carol just calm down"

The sound of Hershels soft, pleading voice made her calm slightly. But not much. She was still fighting with her body to not sink her boot in his stomach.

"It's ridiculous Hershel"

Carol replied, her voice wavering slightly with emotion. Carol turned to face the old and wise man, when she saw him she was suddenly wiped with an uncontrollable sadness when her eyes landed on him.

"Daryl has done so much for us yet we still revert back to what life was like only a year ago."

Her voice no longer sounded dominant, but scared and weak. She felt tears sting her eyes but she tried to hold them in. Hershel came towards her and placed an arm across her shoulders in a comforting manner. That's the moment that she broke, the moment she couldn't hold it in anymore. With that she broke down and cried. She cried for everything. For losing her baby girl. For Andrea and Lori. Even for the loss of Merle. But most of all, she cried for Daryl. For everything he had to deal with before the world went to shit and even now.

Carol had no idea how long she just cried but she knew it was a long time. At some point she fell to the floor and rested up against the wall. Hershel helped her down, not wanting her to get hurt but she just waved him away. Not once did she stop crying. No one tried to come near her after that, knowing it was safer to leave her be.

When she finally stopped crying she heard someone sit down beside her and pull her into a hug. She didn't know who it was but she just needed that hug. When she pulled away she saw that it was Daryl who had hugged her. She cried again, not for as long though, just a short weep. She felt Daryl lift her head up and wipe away her tears with his thumb. She smiled at him sweetly, a small smile, but a smile all the same.

"What was that all about? Hm?"

Daryl didn't sound angry, just concerned and for some reason she heard an odd giggle slip past her lips.

"Think I just needed a good old fashioned break down"

Now it was Daryl's turn to smile and make an odd laughing noise. She noticed that no one else from the prison was around. Especially Rick. He was going to have to make himself scarce around her. She was still mad at him and not ready to apologise to him just yet. She also had a feeling she would end up punching him again if he came within 10 feet of her. Best he kept his distance.

"Nah c'mon, seriously what happened?"

Carol told him quickly what happened. Daryl didn't once interrupt her, but when she mentioned punching Rick he looked down at her.

"Ya really have learnt too much from me"

He smiled wickedly at her, clearly not minding that she had punched the man. In fact she thought she saw a hint of pride in his eyes, which made her smile.

"He deserved it"

That was Carols matter of fact answer and he didn't argue with her, just chuckled lightly in agreement. She finished telling him the story and what she had said to Rick. It was at the moment she mentioned how she had defended him against Rick that he tensed slightly.

"What did I do?"

Carol thought she had said something wrong when she defended him and it worried her. She didn't want to lose him. She couldn't lose him. After a few moments she felt Daryl relax again before replying.

"Ya didn' do nothin wrong, it's just... I uh... I ain' never had no one defend me like ya did."

Daryl rushed the last part of his reply and Carol felt like crying again. He really had been broken and unloved all those years and it pained her at that thought. She tenderly wrapped her arms around his waist and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. Daryl blushed slightly and she just giggled like a high school girl who just said '_hi_' to her biggest crush.

"Well you better get used to it."

She smiled up at him and he pulled her closer to him.

"I think I can do that"

With that he placed a kiss on the top of her head before helping her up and walking back to the rest of the group, hand in hand.


	8. Chapter 8: Surprise

**A/N: please don't hate me for taking so long to do this update, I was editing and rewriting all of the previous chapters so feel free to read them again to see what I mean :)**

**It's 12:10 at night and I'm wrecked from a social last night and I have no idea what's happening in this chapter so give me a break guys :p**

**Disclaimer: Don't own. Done :3**

Carol and Daryl walked into the cell block to where everyone else _should_ be gathered in. They were still holding hands and she was about to let go because she knew Daryl didn't want the rest of the group to know about them. But when she looked around she saw that the place was empty. She was utterly dumbfounded for she had no idea where they could have went.

"Where is everyone?"

Carol stopped walking and turned to face Daryl. She was trying to think of possible places they could have went but cam up with nothing. It wasn't like there were many places to "hang out"duringthe apocalypse so they couldn't be far away. She noticed that Daryl's brows were pulled together too which meant he didn't know either surprisingly. Carol continued to think but her mind was mush, so she gave up. After a few agonisingly slow and painful minutes Daryl finally snapped his fingers, which Carol found odd but didn't mention it.

"Planting. Hershel lashed out at Rick while you were crying. Forced the man to start the farm land now."

Carol smiled at this thought, Hershel had been trying to convince Rick to start to plant food for a while now but Rick always told him to wait it out because of the governor. It was a fair guess to say that Hershel must have been very pissed and demanding toward Rick. Hershel was like a father to Carol, and fathers always protect their children. Daryl's past popped into her head and she corrected herself. _Should_ protect their children. She was also quite cetain that Carol's break down probably played a bog part in the reason Rick had agreed to farming so easily

"What are y'all smilin at?"

Daryl sounded playful, probably knowing all too well what she was smiling about. He always knew what she was thinking or how she felt. Sometimes before she even did herself. Carol just squeezed his hand.

"I think you know perfectly well what I'm smiling at"

Her tone was light and at the moment she felt oddly at peace, as though everything around them in this world didn't exist. They both just stood there, enjoying the normality of the whole situation. Suddenly the sound of the cell doors opening cut through the air and they both crashed down, back to reality. Carol quickly dropped Daryl's hand and took a small step away. He looked hurt and confused to start but then his facial expression changed when he heard a few footsteps and he nodded at her in understanding.

"Carol? Daryl? Is there any chance you could come give us a hand?"

Glenn's voice rang out through the cells, it sounded far away so he obviously hadn't moved away from the main entrance of the door. She heard Daryl sigh and she just giggled softly.

"Yeah we'll be out now Glenn"

Carol replied, amusement from Daryl's response audible in her voice. She listened as the main doors opened and then closed again. Signifying that Glenn had left. Carol began to walk when she was suddenly pushed up against a wall and found herself staring into Daryl's eyes. She didn't even get the chance to react because his mouth was instantly on hers.

Daryl and Carol kissed passionately. She moaned in pleasure numerous times as Daryl nibbled softly on her bottom lip. The kiss turned very heated very quickly, with Daryl running his hands up her body and under her shirt slightly, running his hands across her bare stomach and causing her to shiver in delight. Carol did her fair share of exploration too though as she explored Daryl's back and ran her nails down his back lightly. The pair continued to kiss and explore one an other until the cell doors opened again. Daryl mumbled numerous cusses under his breath as he stepped away from her. Carol laughed at how displeased he was at the distance he now found between them. Just then Glenn walked in to the cell block only this time he stood to the side of them, clearly unamused at their no-show the first time.

"Seriously guys come on. If Hershel's making us get dirty and plant seeds then you's are too."

Carol laughed at the whiney tone Glenn's voice held and how childish the whole thing sounded. Daryl just snorted, clearly thinking the same as her, and brushed past Glenn. Carol rolled her eyes and walked to stand beside Glenn.

"Come on then you slacker"

She playfully jabbed him in the ribs and he fake pouted at her comment.

"Says you"

He mumbled back and Carol just laughed again before heading outside with Glenn in tow behind her. When she opened the doors however she found the area to be lit up with many candles of all shapes and sizes. The tables that were out side were filled with food and drink and everyone else from the core group were standing around the tables.

"Surprise!"

Everyone shouted cheerfully in unison when they saw her, she couldn't believe they had done all this for her. She looked at all of them as tears welled up in her eyes. When she saw Rick a huge pang of guilt hit her in the gut and she ran over to him and wrapped him into a warm embrace.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry Rick. I never should have hit you. Please forgive me"

Carol rambled on to Rick, her emotions making it hard for her to speak. She heard Rick's chest rumble as he chuckled and she smiled before pulling away to look at him. Apart from a small, but nasty bruise on the left side of his face he looked fine.

"It's ok Carol. I deserved it"

Carol just laughed and turned back around to look at everyone again, feeling happier knowing she had fixed things with Rick. Carol knew exactly who she was looking for and when she spotted him she walked right over and pushed her finger into his chest.

"You knew about this didn't you"

Daryl smiled wickedly at her and feigned innocence.

"I don't know what you're talking about"

Carol just looked at him with a "sure you didn't" expression and he laughed before wrapping his arm around the small of her back and pulled her close to him. Daryl surprised her in that moment by kissing her right there in front of everyone. She could hear all the cat calls and applauding behind her and Carol just smiled into the kiss, completely ignoring them and enjoying the moment. When they pulled away Daryl rested his forehead against hers.

"I thought you didn't want to tell anyone?"

She whispered to him so no one else could hear.

"I guess I changed my mind"

Carol was happy enough for him to have changed his mind if it meant they got to do that more often. She kissed him again lightly before grabbing his hand and walking with him over to the table filled with food. It wasn't anything fancy just the usual meal with a little extra food. However in the centre of the table Carol found herself to be staring at what could only be described as heaven.

"Oh my god is that _chocolate cake_?"

Carol could not believe what her eyes were telling her right now. She was looking at an actual, freaking chocolate cake! There it was, the holy grail of food. A chocolate cake, sitting right in front of her. '_Did I die crying?_'

"Yeah me and Maggie made it earlier. We were planning on just having it as a random treat but it's even better now because there's a party"

Beth sounded so enthusiastic and pleased with the reaction to the cake that Carol couldn't help but smile more. If she smiled anymore her face would snap in half, or so it felt.

"It looks like heaven right now Beth, thank you. But you guys didn't have to throw me a party"

Carol was being genuine, she felt horrible for the way she behaved earlier on, which she only realised now must have been a good few hours ago. It was reasonably dark outside now. Carol really must have cried a lot longer than she first thought. '_I guess time really does fly when yout having fun_' she thought sarcastically to herself.

"No you deserve this Carol. We don't thank you enough for all that you do for us so this was the least we could do."

It was Rick who replied to her and everyone else around her nodded in agreement and she felt Daryl squeeze her hand in his silent agreement too.

"Now come on, enough talking I'm starving and looking at all this food isn't helping"

Everyone laughed in at Glenn but didn't complaine, and began to crowd around the table, lifting a plate each and placing food onto it. They all then walked over to the other table and sat down around it. All ate in silence and Carol appreciated it, having obviously missed lunch she was very hungry and didn't want to have to stop eating in order to speak.

Ten minutes later everyone was sitting back I'm their chairs with full stomachs for the first time in ages. Carol sighed in content and heard Daryl let out a breathy laugh beside her. Beth spoke up a minute later.

"So, who wants cake?"

Carl was instantly on his feet ready to dive for the table which held the real star of tonight's show. Beth had made it which meant Carl would love it, seeing as he had a crush on Beth, plus it was a chocolate cake for Christs Sake. Carol laughed and stood up herself, planning on getting a piece when Daryl grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down.

"You stay here and I'll get it"

Carol just smiled and nodded at him too full to even argue, and watched as he walked over to the table. He was soon joined by everyone else, except Hershel and herself. Beth came back with two plates of cake and gave one to her father. Daryl not far behind her with two plates in hand himself. He handed Carol oneand sat down beside her. Carol took a bite and couldn't contain the small moan that left her lips. The cake was delicious! Carol obviously wasn't the only one who thought so though because she heard Carl, Maggie and Glenn all do the same. She also thought she heard Daryl make a small moan himself. They all made quick work of the cake and found every plate empty in a matter of seconds, Carol had tried to save hers but it was impossible.

"I don't think I've ever been this happy"

Glenn mumbled contently and Carol just hummed in agreement. No one spoke after that. They just sat there in a comfortable silence. It was pretty dark by now and not much noise could be heard except Beth's soft voice as she sang numerous songs, some of which Carol nearly fell asleep during. Across the table Rick stretched out and adressed the group.

"Right come on it's pretty late, we should really head on to bed now"

Rick's own voice sounded tired but no one objected and soon she found herself stumbling to her cell, still half asleep. When she walked in she didn't bother to take off her clothes, but instead just fell onto her bed. A few minutes later the weight on the bed shifted and she turned around to see Daryl lying in the other side if the bed. Carol just smiled and snuggled closer to him, her head on his chest.

"Night Daryl"

She felt him wrap an arm around her protectively as always and mumble back,

"Night night"

She felt him kiss her hair before she fell asleep.

**A/N: so apparently that's where this chapter is going :3**

**Totally random but I like it... I think, honestly I'm half dead right now as it is now 1:30 at night :(**

**Haha I had to fix this because my brain physically doesnt work so late**

**Reviews are greatly appreciated and don't forget to re-read the previous chapters now that they have changed :) x**


	9. Chapter 9: All that I missed

**A/N: hey so this is chapter 9 of 'Real or not real?' This chapter is just everything from chapter 7 and 8 in Daryl's POV, so yeah. It doesn't have much speaking sequences, more about his actions and thoughts**

**Disclaimer: I unfortunately don't own Walking Dead but you should buy me it for Christmas ;)**

**OMG speaking of which are any of the UK goers looking forward till this Friday? Season 4 baby! U lucky Americans have already seen it! Ya lucky ducks.**

**Any who hope you enjoy my pretties :D**

Earlier that day...

Daryl felt extremely uncomfortable sitting in his cell, shirtless. Normally he wouldn't mind it that much on his own, but the thing was, he wasn't alone. Carol was kneeling in front of him inspecting the wound which Tyreese had inflicted on him earlier. It wasn't anything to worry about though; he knew it would only need a few stitches. However that didn't stop it from hurting like hell as Carol poked her small hands around it as she cleaned the wound. Carol had asked him who done it, knowing all too well it hadn't just happened by accident. So he told her everything.

Daryl hadn't expected much of a reaction from her and he was right, sure she was pissed but she didn't do anything irrational like he would have done had their positions been swapped. Carol finished the few stitches he needed and kissed his forehead, before walking out of his cell. Daryl just watched her leave before lying back down on his bed. He thought it was best he left her alone to think everything through and calm down a bit. So Daryl welcomed the sleep that came to him and lay unconscious within 10 seconds of his head hitting the pillow.

Daryl awoke with a start. He looked around his cell wildly to finally notice that Beth was standing right there in his cell looking frightened. The sight made his heart clench, even though he had never thought of Beth in a romantic way. She was young enough to be his kid (had he had any), and not to mention the fact that Hershel wouldn't think twice about shooting him in the head if he so much as even looked at Beth in a romantic way. Even though the man was old, he had an explosive temper and Daryl had learnt that the hard way.

"Daryl you need to come quick"

Beth's voice sounded frail and weak, shaking with each word. The short, to the point sentence, caused alarm bells to ring off in his head and he was suddenly all too aware of his surroundings. He quickly turned out of his bed to awkwardly notice he still had no shirt on. He cleared his throat and Beth clearly understood because she promptly left his cell and waited outside for him, he could hear her pacing almost instantly. Daryl made quick work of throwing on his shirt and lacing up his boots, before slinging his bow across his back and heading out to where he heard Beth nervously pacing.

Daryl had just come to realise that he still didn't know what the problem was and felt like an idiot for not asking.

"What happened?"

He knew it mustn't have been anything serious otherwise the whole cell block would have been in a commotion, which leads to the conclusion that something had happened within the group, Prison and Woodberry alike. The thought made his stomach flip.

"It's Carol. I think she's had a bit of a break down, she's been crying for ages now but won't let anyone near her"

The new found information made Daryl feel sick. _How was he supposed to cope in this world if the strongest woman in it had broken down?_ He knew that Rick accusing Daryl is most likely what sent her flying off the edge, and he had been too blind to realise. That fact made him feel responsible for her breakdown. And also like a total jerk for not talking to her.

"Well why didn't ya come get me sooner?"

His voice sounded harsher than he had originally intended and he regretted using the tone almost instantly, but he couldn't help it. He knew it wasn't Beth's fault that they didn't come get him, but at the moment he just needed someone to get pissed at and unfortunately for sweet little Beth, she was in the firing range.

"This is not my fault, so don't get pissed at me! I'm worried sick about her too. You think I didn't want to go get you straight away? Because I did. But Rick and daddy said to just leave her be. They said that for nearly half an hour now! In fact they were still saying it when I stormed out and got you. So don't you dare try turn on me! Now. Are you coming or not?"

Daryl was stunned into silence by Beth's rant. He'd never heard the girls voice sound so hostile, nor had he heard her swear before. Daryl knew from the start he shouldn't have used that tone with her and he had regretted it, but now he regretted it even more. He looked down at the ground and mumbled an apology before Beth started to lead the way, and he both obediently and silently followed closely behind her.

When Daryl walked into the cell block he quickly picked up pieces of what had happened. He noticed a few blood splatters on the floor and that one of the tables had been knocked over. '_How did I sleep through all this_?' Daryl thought to himself in wonder, he was normally such a light sleeper. However the blood and table aren't what concerned him most. What concerned him was the limp and defeated looking body that was lying slumped against the wall. He could hear Carol's sobs even from this far away and he wanted nothing more than to reach out and comfort her in any way he could, but knew better than to do that. Knowing first hand himself that it was better people just left you alone to cry away all your pains and worries in one go. So instead Daryl grabbed Beth's arm to stop her walking any further into the room and pulled her over.

"Where is everyone?"

Beth looked both puzzled pissed that he was asking where the rest of the group where, rather than helping Carol however she didn't question him.

"They're all outside. _We_ figured it was best we leave her alone _remember_."

Beth sounded extremely spiteful but Daryl made no comment, even though he felt a slight tinge of anger building up inside of him at the girls sass.

"Well come on then"

Daryl grabbed Beth's arm and continued to pull her outside into the prison court yard, trying to be as quiet as possible so as to not disturb Carol, even though he was pretty sure a heard of walkers could come in right now and she wouldn't notice.

Sure enough there was everyone sitting around the tables that were sprawled out and about the court yard. When Daryl walked out they all turned to gawk at him, eyes full of questions that he didn't have answers to. The main one being why he was out here talking to them rather than helping Carol. He cleared his throat to make sure he had their attention before speaking.

"I know you're probably all wondering why I'm out here rather than trying to talk to Carol. But if I'm bring honest, right now, I don't think that's gunna work"

There was a thick and awkward silence, so silent Daryl swore no one was even breathing. All of their faces held a similar expression of pure dread and fear. Most likely they were thinking of the unimaginable, that she was bit, and Daryl knew he needed to clarify that she wasn't, to enable them to really focus.

"Now she's as fine as someone who has held all her misery in for a year can be. So I think it's time we all showed her how much we appreciate her. And not just a simple '_Thanks for everything Carol_', she deserves something special."

Daryl watched the relief wash over everyone's face when they learnt that Carol was physically fine, and more importantly, not bit. Then Daryl watched as their faces lit up with the possibility of all the things they could do for her. Rick looked to be trying the hardest, and Daryl noticed the bruise along his jaw. '_What exactly did I miss_?' Was all that Daryl's mind could come up with. Not one thought about showing his appreciation to Carol came into his head and he scolded himself for it. He heard Maggie squeal and he presumed that meant she had thought of something. He was right.

"I've got it! We should cook a little extra food tonight, Beth and I could make a cake. Nothing crazy that would affect us much, just a little extra food is all. Plus it would only be the core group, people she's really close too."

At Maggie's suggestion the other members of the group's faces cracked into huge, face splitting grins. Even Daryl felt the edge of his lips tilt up in small smile.

"That sounds perfect Maggie. Rick would it be alright if we did that? What with the supplies and all, I know we can't afford to sacrifice a lot."

Daryl studied Rick's face as the man thought about it. Thinking how the small party would affect the supplies. With whatever happened earlier Daryl had a hunch that Rick would say yes.

"So long as we don't go crazy... We can manage"

Everyone cheered in response and they were instantly discussing who was doing what and when. Daryl just left them to it. His mind now focused on solely helping Carol now. He swiftly walked back into the cell block and noticed that Carol was still just lying hopelessly against the wall crying. He didn't want to disturb her so instead he leaned against the wall which was opposite to the one she was at and just watched her.

It had been around an hour and a half before Carol stopped crying. Daryl had been worried about her after about an hour of solid crying, fearing she would make herself sick, but begrudgingly he didn't interfere, seeing as he had been through this himself. However it didn't make watching and listening to her cry her heart out any easier. His patience paid off eventually though because once she stopped crying he was able to sit beside her and speak to her about what had happened.

Daryl was both proud, and shocked for what she had done. He was proud for the fact she had punched Rick, but he was shocked at how she had defended him. No one had ever defended Daryl as passionately as she had. In fact no one had ever _really_ defended him at all. For that fact he loved her even more. He hadn't told her he loved her but Daryl was pretty sure she already knew it, probably even before he had himself.

As they finished talking, Daryl tried to think of a believable excuse as to where everyone was. She bought it, and they both took advantage of the solitude and began a very long and passionate make-out session, which was sadly cut short by a party impatient Glenn, who disguised his excitement as annoyance.

When Carol walked outside he had never felt so proud when he saw the look on her face. It was glowing like a light bulb when she saw everything laid out in front of her. But what Daryl surprised himself by doing, was kissing her. In front of the whole group. As expected the cat calls and applauding happened rather enthusiastically, but he just ignored it. He wanted the rest of the group to know that Carol was his. Even if that meant listening to Glenn taunt him for the rest of his life, it would be worth it if he could do this whenever he felt like it.

Later that night after the party Daryl went into Carol's cell and slept with her in his arms. They didn't do anything of course, seeing as he wasn't ready for that kind of intimacy anytime soon. But as she lay asleep in his arms, Daryl replayed the day in his head repeatedly, thinking about everything she had said to defend him. And how her words would be permanently engraved in his mind. And he felt excited about it. For he knew that no matter what, she would do anything to defend him, and he would do anything to protect her.

**A/N: so I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, it wasn't very spectacular but in the middle of writing this authors notes I just thought of an evil plan :3 mwuhaha *cough cough***

**I'm not entirely happy with this chapter but I edited it so I'm a little more accepting of it now.**

**Reviews make my day so do go crazy :) x**


	10. Chapter 10: I love you

**A/N: Sup? Sorry it's been such a long time since I last did an update, I've just been so busy with school and homework that I haven't had the time to write. Please don't hate me, because I know, being a fangirl myself, that when an author doesn't update. _People are going to die_.**

**Anyways the walking dead season 4 is amazing! Carols' little badass move by cremating Karen and Dave, damn girl. In the words of my dear friend kellie, they were crispy XD never laughed so much till I heard that.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own walking dead. FML ;) jks I love my life**

***(by the way I have used the term lucid, meaning that a you are conscious and aware of your actions and surrounds.)***

**Any who's hope y'all enjoy this chapter.**

It had been just over a week now since the core prison group held their little party for Carol. A full week were Daryl and Carol made out with each other every time they saw the other. _Literally_. Carol's mouth was permanently swollen and bruised from the kisses. But it never bothered the pair, they were always too busy playing tonsil-tag with each other.

However in that time period Daryl started to notice that he was getting more and more exhausted each day, and he would often see black spots in his eyes. At first he had just shook it off as being tired. But after a week of this behaviour, and it getting worse, he finally decided to talk to Hershel about it.

"How long did you say this has been going on son?"

Hershel had just finished giving Daryl a look over, checking his temperature, pulse, and pupil dilation. It only took around 15 minutes and Hershel had managed to fill every second with questions on how he felt and how much he slept, how much he ate. Just mindless questions to him, but he answered each one accordingly.

"For about a week now. I only first really noticed it the day of Carols party, when I saw all the flipped tables and realised I hadn't even stirred when all of that was going on."

Dearly watched as Hershel's face scrunched up slightly in thought then relax.

"I believe you have a case of sleep deprivation. You're pushing yourself too hard, the best thing for you is to just get a long, and well deserved rest."

No matter how much Daryl hated the idea of dropping all his duties just to sleep, he knew it was true. He had been pushing himself too hard recently. Always volunteering to go on runs, doing extra night shifts, clearing out cell blocks, hunting, and just general work. Daryl nodded his head in agreement and mumbled a genuine thanks to Hershel. He walked out of the medical room and went straight out to find Rick and tell him what would need to happen.

"Yo Rick!"

He called across the court yard as he found the man he was looking for. Rick looked back at him as he jogged over to him. He excused himself from the conversation he was having with some women from Woodberry and met Daryl half way.

"What's wrong Daryl?"

"Rick I hate to do this but I need to take a day or two off to rest. I've barely been sleeping recently and working too much and it's finally started to catch up with me. I got Hershel to check me over and he says I need to rest. You know yourself I'm not keen to sit and do nothing, but I'm not prepared to challenge Hershel."

Daryl watched as Rick began to chuckle, knowing himself what it's like to challenge the old religious man. Rick grasped Daryl's shoulder and nodded his head.

"That's fine Daryl, you deserve a break. I'll get Sasha and Michonne to take over your night watch. Now go on 'fore I change my mind."

Rick said the last part with a wink and Daryl just smiled before turning around and jogging back inside, throwing a quick "thanks" over his shoulder.

As Daryl walked to the steps leading up to his cell, he felt as though all the energy in his body was suddenly being drained away. Black spots clouded his vision as he tried to grab onto the wall for support, but as he took one step he suddenly found himself falling to the ground, but he blacked out before hitting the ground.

Darkness. A thick darkness shrouded everything around him. He could hear voices faintly talking near him but he was too tired to open his eyes. His whole body felt as though it was made from lead and he was too weak to even try opening his eyes. So instead he lay there until he fell asleep again.

The next time Daryl woke up he was slightly more lucid. He could hear whispering outside his cell from, who he believed to be, Rick and Hershel. They were too far away for him to pick up what they were saying, and if he was being honest, he didn't want to know what they were saying. To the right of him he could hear breathing, and, crying? After much effect Daryl managed to crack an eye open and turn his head to the right slightly. The sight before him was something he never wanted to see. There lay Carol, all curled up in the corner of his cell, crying her eyes out as silently as possible. Mumbling every so often, something about "_Daryl_" and "_needing him."_ After a minute or so he couldn't bare to watch the sight before him anymore, and he was convinced he would have enough energy to at least speak to her. Just as he opened his mouth a sharp scream sliced through the air. And all too suddenly Daryl saw dots cloud his vision. He faintly heard Carol shouting out his name, but no matter how much he wanted too, he couldn't respond to her pleads. Just before Daryl passed out he realised something, that scream came from him, a scream of pain. Then the darkness consumed him again.

_"...Daryl... I need you... Wake up... Please... Wake up..."_

Daryl stirred where he lay on the bed. Slowly but surely he cracked open and eye to see Carol kneeled at the side of his bed, silently crying and pleading for him to wake up. With much, much effort, Daryl managed to move his hand to lay it on top of hers. Her head snapped up quickly and stared at him in disbelief. Then to his surprise she calmly stood up and walked out of the room. Daryl didn't know how to react, should he be pissed or grateful she left, because he certainly didn't want a repeat of last time. Around five minutes later Daryl heard the sound of Hershel's crutches on his cell floor.

"Son. Son, hey how are you feeling?"

"Honestly. I feel like shit and I'm starving."

His voice was horse and his throat felt like sand paper, but he didn't feel any pain so he was happy. At Daryl's reply Hershel let out a chuckle and his face seemed to light up from the fact that Daryl was still his usual self. He leaned over and gave Daryl a drink of water before replying.

"Well that's to be expected."

Hershel's face turned serious suddenly before he continued.

"Do you know how long you've been out?"

Daryl scrunched his face up in concentration, thinking as hard as he could. Trying to work out how long it was possible for him to have been out.

"I don't know, two, three days tops?"

Hershel looked at Daryl with sad eyes that told him he was wrong. He suddenly felt worried and sick at the same time for how long it could have been possible for him to be out, just from a little tiredness.

"No son. You've been out for a week now. We tried to get some food into you but couldn't wake you up. You were basically in a coma."

Not only did this information snap Daryl awake, it also scared him half to death. _A whole week_ he had been unconscious. Daryl had obviously underestimated how serious his condition had been.

"Now for the next couple of days I want you to just rest and eat. Now I believe Carol left to go get you something to eat. I'll go see if she's ready yet."

With that Hershel left his cell, and left him alone with his thoughts. He was still trying to process the information. _Basically in a coma, _that's what Hershel had told him, and no matter how much Daryl tried to convince himself that it wasn't true, he knew it was it was. The guilt began to set into him. He had done this to himself, for being too stubborn and refusing to take a break, and now he was the biggest burden in the group. Just as he was self-loathing Carol chose that moment to walk in, carrying a bowl of some sort of stew with a large chunk of bread sticking out of the side. Daryl slowly pulled himself up into a sitting position, and, once he was comfortable, Carol set the plate on his lap. She walked away then, heading for the door, and that's when Daryl knew something was wrong and he needed to fix it, and _now._

"Carol what's wrong? Ever since I woke up you've been avoiding me like the plague."

She stopped walked and just stood there for a moment before slowly turning around to look at him. Her eyes were all red and puffy, signifying that she had been crying, but she didn't speak, just stared at him. Neither of them spoke for what felt like an eternity, and Daryl found himself growing uncomfortable under her stare. Just as he was ready to give up and eat his meal she spoke.

"Do you know the hell I've been through? I have spent the last w_eek _wondering if you were _**ever**_going to wake up Daryl! _**YOU**_ put me through hell! Why didn't you tell **me**!"

Carol sounded furious with him, and he was completely shocked at how much hatred her voice held. Daryl just sat quietly on his bed as she stood and continued to stare at him, and he had no idea if he even had the right to speak at this moment in time.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

He had to strain to hear what Carol had said, she had said it that quietly. Daryl thought about that. _Why didn't I tell her? _Daryl certainly hadn't done it intentionally, because he would never want to hurt her. He had made a vow to never hurt her ever again after that night on the farm.

"I- I didn't know how serious it was. I thought I was just tired. 'm sorry I didn't tell ya. Just don't hate me for it."

Daryl mumbled the last of his sentence before eating a spoonful of stew. He really didn't want Carol to hate him, he loved her far too much for that. He knew himself now that he loved her, but he had still yet to tell her, for fear she would laugh and reject him. As Daryl swallowed his second mouthful of stew he heard shuffling in his cell before there was a sudden shift of weight on his bed.

"I don't hate you Daryl, I never could. It's just," Carol sighed before continuing, "I was worried that I would lose you, I was angry that you felt you couldn't tell me that you weren't sleeping, but I don't hate you. I could_ never_ hate you."

Carol had a sad smile on her face as she spoke those words softly to him, a drastic change from when she last spoke to him. Daryl watched as a single tear rolled down her face. Daryl placed his bowl on the floor before he brought his hand to her face and tentatively wiped away the tear with his thumb. Carol smiled and leaned into his touch. Daryl took a deep breath and spoke.

"I love you Carol."

He watched as she froze and stared at him in disbelief. Daryl swore he felt his heart breaking into a million pieces when she looked at him with an unreadable expression. Daryl removed his hand from her face and mumbled and apology before sitting back on his bed. He went to move further down into the sheets so he could sleep his rejection away. Carol suddenly grabbed his hand to prevent him from moving away from her. Daryl nervously looked up at her just as she leaned in and kissed him as though her life depended on it. After a very long and passionate make-out session Carol pulled away and rested her forehead on top of his.

"I love you too."

**A/N: So what did you think of my little cutesy ending? I thought it was pretty cute ;) Again I apologise for the delay in chapters but I promise I will try to post more frequently. **

**As always reviews are greatly appreciated both constructive and destructive**

**Love ya guys. Terig x**


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